This morning it's the last of my new teas from Mad Monk, the Emerald Oolong. The wet leaf is very green and smells a bit like sencha, though less of a nori scent. I'm not sure if "emerald oolong" is a thing, or if it's just what they decided to call it at this shop, but this tastes an awful lot like a baozhong. A bit saltier than the other baozhong I've tried, but still quite floral and light.

saxon75 wrote:This morning it's the last of my new teas from Mad Monk, the Emerald Oolong. The wet leaf is very green and smells a bit like sencha, though less of a nori scent. I'm not sure if "emerald oolong" is a thing, or if it's just what they decided to call it at this shop, but this tastes an awful lot like a baozhong. A bit saltier than the other baozhong I've tried, but still quite floral and light.

I'm sure that there are plenty of online retailers where I could get a better deal, but when possible I like to support local businesses. I've been sampling their teas over the past couple of weeks, and have found that I like some quite a bit and that others are not my preference--though none of them have been outright bad so far.

Their web site isn't terribly informative and their blog isn't up to date, but I've found them to be friendly and helpful in the store, and their staff does seem to knowledgeable about the teas that they sell, if you ask. I can understand why that wouldn't be great if you didn't live in the area, but it works well enough for me.

I figure that if I find teas at their store that I enjoy, I'm happy to keep buying those teas. And where their line doesn't cover what I'm looking for, I'm happy to look elsewhere.

edkrueger wrote:Teahome isn't exactly cheap. For example their DYL is $43 per 75g and its not the best.

There are different levels of DYL. I don't think you can beat the combined quality + value of DYL from Origin. Their winter DYL is discounted now to make it even more attractive. This is an affordable tea for any DYL lover to drink often. I don't get kickbacks! Not yet, anyways.

I'm a big fan of this winter's DYL from FLT - amazingly soft, complex and subtle, but with great mouthfeel and aftertaste. Not a tea for people who need to be hit over the head with taste to appreciate it, but for those who like a very clean and refined profile it's hard to beat IMO.

In my cup - some aged baozhong that needs a refresh roast. Turning on the roaster - hope I don't destroy it....

Enjoying a first session with some lovely Hwang-Cha by Jeong Jae Yeun, from Morning Crane Tea. I haven't been so careful with the brewing times/temps--too much going on for a proper session--but it's got plum and wine going on, without any bitterness, and seems quite tolerant of my forgetting how long infusions have been going.

Because I started late in the evening, I brewed a small amount of tea rather dilutely so I could enjoy it in my large new chawan. This tea forgives.

1st session w/ this, & I think I will do better next time than I did w/ the particular yixing pot that I used today. (Will try glazed teaware); whatever,

1 rounded teaspoon of pearls for 100 ml yielded a few flavorful cups & a couple of slightly weaker infusions.

I missed sweetness that I feel should have accompanied what the tea did give: a mild taste of minerals & a tiny vegetal hint; yet, I liked this tea a lot for its nice mouthfeel, pleasant lingering aftertaste, & good bodyfeel.

1st session w/ this, & I think I will do better next time than I did w/ the particular yixing pot that I used today. (Will try glazed teaware); whatever,

1 rounded teaspoon of pearls for 100 ml yielded a few flavorful cups & a couple of slightly weaker infusions.

I missed sweetness that I feel should have accompanied what the tea did give: a mild taste of minerals & a tiny vegetal hint; yet, I liked this tea a lot for its nice mouthfeel, pleasant lingering aftertaste, & good bodyfeel.

I would suggest that you use 6g per 100ml. Use short brews, 10sec. This way, you will get the full flavor and you can adjust the strength to your taste by increasing or decreasing brew time. My favorite clays for this are Chao Zhou red and unglazed porcelain.

Same winter Lishan as above: Taking advice from Teadoff (thank you) & someone else, I tripled the amount of tea & cut the steeping time to a maximum of 20 seconds.Subtle sweet flavor can now be detected for a more rounded taste = improvement. Don't have the recommended clay nor unglazed porcelain but still have better results. Need to sleep so only took this second session to 3 infusions. This Lishan from Origin has me gong to bed w/ a wonderful aftertaste & feeling well.